Winter Storm Damage and Homeowners Insurance

Published: January 29, 2015

As New England gets buried under a blanket of snow, we recognize that now is probably not the right time to urge you to prepare for winter snow arrival. But we’re going to do it anyway, because it’s never too early to plan ahead for next year.

If you stay on top of basic property maintenance, you’ll do a lot to help prevent damage from winter storms. Be sure to keep your rain gutters clear, repair roof leaks, and remove large tree branches hanging over your roof. And make sure you know how to turn off your water valves so you don’t have to search desperately for them after a pipe bursts.

Talk to your insurance company about what type of damage is covered during a winter storm, but generally, if your roof is damaged because a tree suddenly fell on it, your home owners insurance will cover it. However, if your roof blows away in a heavy wind because it was rotting and you failed to fix it, your neglect will likely cause the insurance company to deny a claim.

Different policies cover different types of damage, and it is wise to be familiar with yours before you need it. But the most important thing you can do to protect your property during the winter is to keep it well maintained to lessen the chance that you’ll need to call your insurance company at all.

J.K. Olivieri Insurance Agency, Inc. is an independent insurance agency founded in 1979 which represents a number of major insurance companies. Our mission is to protect our clients’ financial future. We feel our role as an insurance agency is to assist our clients in selecting the best possible programs to fill their specific needs. In doing so, we shall research and present our clients with the best possible programs available at the best possible prices.